I remember reading an entry in this blog about that scene being added in later.( to fill time?) You can see the Maestro has short hair in the scene.

I think you nailed it, Mark. Thought I was the only one who noticed Cassavetes hair being shorter in the back. Clearly, it was shot after most of the other scenes, so it might have been just amusing filler with Columbo asking questions like, "how much you pay for those shoes?", except this time it was all about the house.

Now I always thought the Autograph question is Columbo's way of finding out if the suspect is left or right handed. I think he's done that on more than one occasion. I'm probably looking at it too deeply.

The only episode I'm aware of that being left-handed came into play was Death Lends A Hand. Although with as many people that were killed by someone hitting them, I'm surprised he didn't check more to see which handedness matches the side the wound was on.

I think Columbo sometimes likes to ask a socially inappropriate question just to keep the suspect off-balance, see how they'll react, or to make them think he's a rube. In this case he combines it with the flattery of asking for an autograph, another Columbo move, to make them think they've got the upper hand (although I agree with Rob that it's also to see if they're left-handed).

I suppose he could have been checking to see if Benedict was left handed or not but in the end it didn't play a role (as I recall; haven't watched this episode for a long time).

It's funny speaking of autographs. Columbo never asked for Nora Chandler's autograph. Yet he did ask for Ned Diamond's (Forgotten Lady) but NOT Grace Wheelers. Just an observation.

:open_mouth: